Perceptions of Southern Mindanao Farmers On the Quality of Temperate Vegetables

In Barangay Kapatagan, Digos City, Southern Mindanao Philippines, vegetable farmers hold a specific worldview on what quality vegetables are. This paper aims to define this worldview, compare this with expectations of marketing intermediaries down the vegetable supply chain, and assess the gaps between these views. Discrepancies between and among the definitions of the different groups affect the entire chain because of incompatible decisions in production, marketing and quality management. These decisions contribute to the efficiency or inefficiency of the entire chain. IntroductionCrop Production/Industries, Productivity Analysis,

Gender equality and investments in adolescents in the rural Philippines:

"...Many studies have looked at the way resources are distributed to men, women, and especially to small children, but one age group within the family has been largely ignored: the adolescents. Adolescence is a crucial period in that teenagers can make major contributions to their families' welfare through their labor and earnings, in and outside the household, but may sacrifice their own wishes and future well-being in the process if such contributions come at the expense of investments in their education. The research methodology in this report, combining regression analysis with ethnography, provides a lesson in how complementarities between methodological approaches can be exploited...The research finds that parents are not unduly influenced by short-term needs and are ready to make substantial sacrifices in terms of current consumption in order to invest in their children's future. The research also concludes that boys and girls in this rural area of the Philippines are generally treated equally, provid ing a contrast with other Asian settings where discrimination by gender is common." (Forward by Per Pinstrup- Andersen)Teenagers Philippines Social conditions., Rural families Philippines., Gender, Health and nutrition, Education Economic aspects Philippines., Household resource allocation, Health.,

Abiotic Stresses to Vegetation Re-establishment in a Cutover Bog Contaminated with Seawater

Part of a cutover bog in Pokesudie Island, New Brunswick, Canada was contaminated with seawater and was still largely devoid of vegetation 5 years after the event and was consequently chosen for study. The study area consisted of rectangular fields with cambered surface that sloped down (2%) to the drainage ditches on both sides. Across this slope zones were created: Up-, Mid- and Low- areas on either side of the centerline of fields. Two field experiments were conducted to determine abiotic stresses to plant re-establishment in terms of hydrology and peat characteristics along this cambered surface. The general objective was to identify microsites or zones that could be suitable to the introduction of wetland halophytes Juncus balticus Willd. and Spartina pectinata Link obtained from nearby salt marshes. In the first experiment, cylindrical J. balticus sods were transplanted into the Up- and Low- areas, at 1, 3, 5, 10 and 20 d of incubation (in May 2005) with measurements made on the Outer and Inner annular sod sections, replicated over 4 blocks. Moisture (% dry weight basis (dwb)) reached maximum values 1 day after transplantation, 84±0. 05 for Outer and 103±0. 07 for Inner sod section. Salinity (dS m-1) in sods due to ingress of sodium (Na+ ) and chloride (Cl-) reached values of the surrounding peat 3 days after transplantation, 3. 52±1. 06 for Inner sod section and 4. 11±0. 99 for Outer sod section in Up-areas, and 1. 76±0. 24 for Inner sod section and 2. 57±0. 28 for Outer sod section in Low-areas. Maximum decrease in pH was at 5 days after transplantation, in Outer sod section in the Up-areas (from 5. 89 to 4. 88±0. 14) which was much higher than the pH range of 3-4 of the surrounding peat. This was due to the buffering capacity of calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium (Mg2+) in sods which did not change in concentration after 20 days of incubation. Therefore, Inner sod sections were less affected by the surrounding peat compared to the Outer sod sections, suggesting that a larger sod volume may alleviate stressful conditions for a longer time at transplantation and consequently allow greater time for adaptation. In the second experiment, J. balticus and S. pectinata were transplanted on the 3 Locations Up-, Mid- and Low- areas, replicated over 10 blocks; and peat characteristics were measured at Depths 0-5, 5-10, 10-15 and 15-20 cm 5 times during the study period May-August 2005. Survival of J. balticus was poorest (27. 5±8. 3 %) in the Low-areas compared to 68. 5±8. 9 % in the Up- and 58. 5±8. 7% in the Mid- areas. S. pectinata survival was very good at all Locations (89±5. 3, 91. 6±3. 1 and 84. 2±4. 4 for Up-, Mid- and Low- areas, respectively) having better adaptation to early season waterlogged conditions. Waterlogged conditions resulted from a perched water table during the early part of the growing season (May-June) and were alleviated only upon the complete thaw of the frozen peat layer on 8 July. Thereafter, important changes in hydrology and peat characteristics occurred: water table depths decreased from -8. 5±1. 7 and -1. 6±1. 2 cm on 26 May, to -51. 5±2. 5 and -40. 7±2. 4 cm by 9 August in Up- and Low-areas, respectively; redox potentials at 12 cm depth increased from 26 June (190. 9±8, 175±10. 8 and 109. 2±29. 4 mV) to 9 August (282. 8±8, 302. 8±14. 3 and 312. 3±29. 6 mV) in the Up-, Mid- and Low-areas, respectively which showed that anaerobic conditions were maintained throughout the study period; decreased moisture content from 1256. 8±61. 9, 1667. 4±126. 3 and 1728. 6±153 on 30 May, to 851. 7±21. 2, 874. 6±47 and 1008. 2±57. 5 % dwb on 25 July) which caused increased dry bulk density (from 0. 07±0. 002, 0. 06±0. 003 and 0. 07±0. 01 to 0. 09±0. 003, 0. 09±0. 005 and 0. 08±0. 004) in the Up-, Mid- and Low-areas, respectively; and increased electrical conductivity (salinity) especially on the 0-5cm surface (from 1. 9±0. 13, 1. 8±0. 31 and 1. 5±0. 29 to 18±1. 9, 17. 5±1. 1 and 12. 2±1 dS m-1) which also caused decreased pH (from 3. 5±0. 04, 3. 5±0. 08 and 3. 6±0. 01 to 2. 85±0. 04, 2. 85±0. 01 and 2. 9±0. 03) in the Up-, Mid- and Low-areas, respectively. Therefore, spring flooding followed by high surface salinity in summer precludes plant establishment by seeding and explains the current lack of spontaneous revegetation. Waterlogged conditions were of greater magnitude and duration at lower elevation areas unfavourable to J. balticus survival but salinity levels were high in the Up- and Mid-areas. In the subsequent part of the second experiment, plants of J. balticus and S. pectinata grown in the study area and those collected from marshes were divided into above- and below- ground parts and accumulation of salt ions in plant tissues were determined to understand the species' salt-tolerance mechanism, as well as the accumulation of potentially toxic levels of iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn). Both plant species had similar accumulations (mmol kg-1 dry wt,) of Na+ (474. 3±41 and 468. 3±31. 7, respectively) and Cl- (314. 9±21. 9 and 310. 5±27. 5, respectively) in the above-ground parts but differed in how they managed Na+. J. balticus accumulated more Na+ in below-ground parts (659. 3±88. 7) and had limited transport to the above-ground parts, while S. pectinata accumulated and excreted Na+ in the above-ground parts and had less accumulation in the below-ground parts (397. 4±25. 1). S. pectinata maintained (313. 1±23. 8 in marsh vs. 292. 4±26. 2 in bog) and J. balticus increased (84. 2±1. 2 in marsh vs. 531. 2±38. 6 in bog) K+-selectivity in the shoots, a key requirement for survival in saline conditions. Compared with their respective marsh plants, S. pectinata had more salinity-tolerance than J. balticus primarily through its maintenance of Ca2+ (21. 5±1. 7 in marsh vs. 35. 6±3. 8 in bog) compared to a decrease in J. balticus (144. 7±12. 5 in marsh vs. 41±3. 7 in bog). Furthermore, Fe and Mn uptake in both species decreased but reached critical Fe-deficiency levels (1. 1±0. 1 mmol kg-1 dry wt,) only in S. pectinata grown in drier areas. It is concluded that local conditions of waterlogging (especially in lower elevation areas) and high salinity and low pH (notably in the upper elevation areas) were favourable to the survival of S. pectinata in all areas and J. balticus only in upper elevation areas. Sod transplanting may alleviate the acidity problem and depending on sod volume may delay the effects of harsh conditions of the cutover bog. However, long-term survival and growth of both species in drier areas may be constrained by deficiency in calcium in J. balticus and iron in S. pectinata

Consumers’ Perceptions on Food Safety of Vegetables in Davao City, Philippines

The food safety issue has become a public health priority. Serious outbreaks have been reported over the past few decades because of eating unsafe food. Food-borne diseases such as Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad-cow disease) pose a serious threat to consumers. However, there is a dearth of study of consumer perceptions in the Philippines regarding food safety of vegetables. Therefore, this study investigated how consumers define food safety and analyzed their purchasing habits. A household survey of 300 respondents, 100 each from low-, middle-, and high-income groups, was conducted. The study selected ampalaya (bitter gourd), pechay (bok choy), and lettuce for the valuation scenario since these vegetables are more exposed to pesticides. We found that all income groups are more concerned with the visual appeal of the vegetables. This included the appearance, freshness, cleanliness, and presence of physical damages. The low-income group bought vegetables from the wet market at least twice a week and has less awareness of food safety. The low-income respondents were price conscious and had the highest average quantity of ampalaya purchased (0.69 kg). They rarely bought lettuce and were not particular on the food safety labels and brand names. Meanwhile, the middle-income group purchase vegetables from the wet market and supermarket weekly. This income group bought the highest average quantity of pechay (0.48 kg) and lettuce (0.72 kg). They defined food safety as “clean vegetables,” and some have started to be food safety conscious by purchasing vegetables that are organic, food safety labelled, and well packaged. Similarly, majority of the high-income group bought vegetables from the supermarket weekly and were more concerned about food safety. They defined food safety as “proper food handling” and thought that food safety in vegetables meant naturally grown, organic, and chemical/pesticide-free vegetables. Based on the results, vendors should wash vegetables to take away residues such as dirt and biotic and nonbiotic contaminants to satisfy consumers’ expectations and to generate consumer loyalty. The results of the study show that for the wet market, transactions in volumes should be continued and enhanced to provide low prices for the consumers. For the supermarket, innovation in food products can be done through the inclusion of food safety labels and certifications in the packaging of the vegetables sold

The Politics and Materiality of Coordination: Philippine Village Leaders Responding to the Spread of a Global Plant Disease in Banana

Leadership is the process of directing and influencing, and it involves taking actions and producing change, in both informal and formal settings. In the Philippines, there are village leaders elected in a political position. Barangays (villages) are the smallest political administrative unit in the country and are led by a barangay captain. This paper investigates leadership, not only as an exclusive result of politics and social structures, but relates it to the problem-solving practices and managing interdependencies modified by a global plant disease in banana. The Philippine banana industry caters to both domestic and export markets, making it an important economic commodity. A virulent global plant disease in banana, Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense Tropical Race 4 (Foc TR4), is threatening the producers in Philippine villages. Case studies of village leaders examine their actions in relation to nonconstituents, particularly with the Foc threat. Settings were four villages where export-oriented banana companies were present, mingling with local players. The common denominators in all these villages were the presence of export-oriented banana plantation and recorded incidence of Foc. The village leaders’ handling of the gravity and importance of problem still leaned largely on how their political influencers perceived the problem. The multinational companies, on the other hand, were not able to fully articulate the importance of the problem to the village leaders. These companies kept much of their researches and studies to themselves and shared only what was necessary. As a result, the village did not have complete information on how to treat or understand the problem

Coordination and Risk in the Philippine Banana Industry: Conditions for Responding to Panama Disease

Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense Tropical Race 4 is a disease that traverses political, economic, geographical, and social boundaries and confronts the fragmented and highly polarized banana industry. Furthermore, the nature of TR4 has many uncertainties and unknowns. This paper investigated conditions for coordination in responding to TR4 risk. A qualitative case study of two villages in Davao del Norte, a major producing area in the Philippines with TR4 occurrence, was done to provide a contextual and in-depth analysis. Results showed that there was coordination between actors with longer working or personal relationships. They shared a common language for identifying problems and defining risks and communicate beyond the boundaries of their own organizations. There were visible signs of alliances between private and public domains in their handling of TR4 uncertainties. Actors have an urgency to react to TR4 impacts by accommodating multiple solutions. The enabling conditions for coordination identified were long-term relations forged outside the organizations/industry alliances and examination and the recognition of unknown TR4 characteristics, thus forging emerging research and information sharing. The constraints included polarization rooted from unequal access to land, blaming, and the isolated experiments and advocacy for single solutions. In conclusion, there was low coordination in responding to disease risk because of the blaming and diversities in solutions. However, there was an emerging coordination that built on social relations and deliberate efforts to bring parties together from the public and private sectors. The industry has to adapt, settle, and manage its differences to collectively address the banana disease risk

Nurses’ Insights on Students’ Performance in Administering Intramuscular Injection at Tobruk Medical Center

The research is a quantitative non-experimental research with purposive sampling using nurses at Tobruk Medical Center as respondent with the students doing their hospital duty as subject. Questionnaire method was used for data collection with the aim of finding the nurses insights on students’ performance in administering intramuscular injection at the hospital based on their observation. A total of 30 nurses were used in the study. Performance were computed based on assessment, planning and implementation of the students’. The result shows that the students’ performance as perceived by the nurses has an overall weighted mean of 3.24 and standard deviation of 0.56 equivalent to good performance. When grouped according to profile, it appears that there is no significant difference in terms of gender (T-stat=0.06882656, p-value=0.945616854), age (F-stat=1.193781718, p value=0.318568251) and years of experience (F-stat=1.042539568, p-value=0.390283827). No relationship was establish based on the statistical result

Perception of Staff Nurses on the Participation of Student Nurses of Tobruk University at Tobruk Medical Center

Nursing is a profession that delivers care artfully with compassion, caring, and respect for each patient’s dignity. It embodies necessary skills, knowledge and attitude. Nurses acquired their knowledge and skills through baccalaureate, Master’s, or doctorate degree. During their baccalaureate where student nurses started to acquire necessary skills they need as a future nurse. At first, they are taught the skills in their Related Learning Experience from 1 to 4. The student nurses were required to do the graded return demonstrations for their clinical instructors to assess for the readiness of the students for clinical exposure in the hospital. The aim of the study is to determine the participation of the student nurses in providing quality care for the patients in Tobruk Medical Center as perceived by the staff nurses. After gathering and interpreting the data, it was found out female respondents perceived that students have high participation in providing care in promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative. On the other hand, the male respondents perceived that students have low participation in promotive, preventive and rehabilitative. They perceived that students have high participation in curative

Improving tree mortality models by accounting for environmental influences

Tree-ring chronologies have been widely used in studies of tree mortality where variables of recent growth act as an indicator of tree physiological vigour. Comparing recent radial growth of live and dead trees thus allows estimating probabilities of tree mortality. Sampling of mature dead trees usually provides death-year distributions that may span over years or decades. Recent growth of dead trees (prior to death) is then computed during a number of periods, whereas recent growth (prior to sampling) for live trees is computed for identical periods. Because recent growth of live and dead trees is then computed for different periods, external factors such as disturbance or climate may influence growth rates and, thus, mortality probability estimations. To counteract this problem, we propose the truncating of live-growth series to obtain similar frequency distributions of the "last year of growth" for the populations of live and dead trees. In this paper, we use different growth scenarios from several tree species, from several geographic sources, and from trees with different growth patterns to evaluate the impact of truncating on predictor variables and their selection in logistic regression analysis. Also, we assess the ability of the resulting models to accurately predict the status of trees through internal and external validation. Our results suggest that the truncating of live-growth series helps decrease the influence of external factors on growth comparisons. By doing so, it reinforces the growth-vigour link of the mortality model and enhances the model's accuracy as well as its general applicability. Hence, if model parameters are to be integrated in simulation models of greater geographical extent, truncating may be used to increase model robustness

Clusters and networks as enablers of product and process innovation

One of the strategies adopted in the Philippines to facilitate a more consistent supply of good quality vegetables from smallholder farmers is the clustering approach, whereby a small group or cluster of smallholder farmers is organized to deliver a pre-determined amount of produce to a focal customer (CRS-Philippines, 2007). Developed from the CIAT Territorial Approach, the CRS Eight Step Clustering Approach for Agro-enterprise Development employs a participatory action learning process, where the cluster members proactively plan their production to meet the specifc quality and delivery requirements of their focal customer. The clustering approach is a strategy which allows smallholder farmers to access higher value chains. Evidence is provided to demonstrate how several of the clusters facilitated have utilised the skills and knowledge acquired in servicing their focal customer to develop new products for new markets, to adopt alternative low cost systems of production to reduce their reliance on external inputs, to reduce postharvest losses and product deterioration through improved packaging, to improve access to low cost community-based loans and to take advantage of local and national government grants that provide production inputs and support the development of community-based infrastructure projects